Laurie, thanks for the clarification. I, too, wonder how you were able to accomplish those works of art without some major blood-letting The flies are beautiful, let's hope those that can will see to some changes to protect the resource.

Joni, Ah, the 'infamous' "twins", too bad there are those who scoff at conservation and protecting the resource for the future in the name of "well, if it's legal, what's the problem?" The problem is that it may be legal, but the collateral damage to protected species is the concern.

Once again, I am not trying to stir things. Laurie's flies are incredible and I will not do anything to discount that.

Thanks, Laurie, you are an inspiration to us all and I hope to meet you someday.

Well there are 'rules,' then there are "rules" and they vary by water. Just walk into a 'sporting goods' store and vast majority of what you'll see in the way of 'spinners' will have a treb-hook. Can you legally use same? Water dependent and those are intended to be catch and retain (still water 'putt and take' if you will).

Quite a few of the UK rivers allow these hooks for Sea Trout, etc. Only thing 'wrong' is getting one of these things out of a fish jaw is a total pain where one sits.

many of the better places I fish wont even allow use of barbed hooks...I am curious...are folks where you fish keeping everything they catch?

that would explain the trips...if not...I agree...they should be not allowed...one of the streams I fish a lot allowed spin anglers...and it was a C&R...crazy...but some groups pettioned the state(Colorado, the Dream Stream)...the damage a triple barbed hook does in enormous(especially with rapalas or similar)...generally ruining the trouts ability to even function...they might as well be kept for the grill, and not be wasted...because we usually find them dead on the bank...when you release as careful as possible a nice 22" brown trout, that you caught on a barbless hook...then wade down the bank and find one even bigger dead...with blood all over it...it definetely makes you sick...

this has caused a lot of tension among different groups of anglers...I for one only think killing fish is OK where they are part of a restocking program in streams and lakes, or ocean species of course would be different...JMHO

sorry for the rant...but it is something we deal with regularly...nice patterns...like the wire wrap...

I can only agree with you 100% on your quote ,over here you get a lot of guys trophy hunting, kill the fish and put them in the freezer.
Then at the end of the year they dump them.
Now to me that is tragic, as if they had gone barbless and did catch and release they may have had the chance of hooking into that beauty again .
Just goes to show there are a lot of small minded angler over here,but we are working towards catch and release